Numerous business process applications are presently used to conduct business operations. Applications may be programs that an end-user executes to perform certain tasks. Such applications may be executed in conjunction with one or more backend systems, which may store large amounts of data in a variety of formats. Example backend systems may include database systems, enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, customer relationship management (CRM) systems, and business warehouse (BW) systems, etc.
By manipulating the data stored within backend systems, users may generate various business process objects, such as sales orders, invoices, etc. A business object may be created using known computing systems and languages (e.g., advanced business application programming (ABAP) which is available from SAP AG, Walldorf, Germany). Such objects may be stored within backend systems. In addition, objects are typically stored using tabular format(s).
Relational databases are popular tools for storing such objects and for organizing relational data for subsequent analysis. Relational databases may involve large amounts of data and data structures, and require complex coding to query the database or otherwise communicate with user applications. Due to the complexity of the data and the required coding, a large investment of time and labor resources is necessary to create a functional relational database.
In addition, the size and complexity of relational databases may cause difficulties in moving relational databases between platforms. Often database users may combine a system update with a number of different activities such as database migration or Unicode conversion. For example, a number of challenges may arise during migration of an existing BW or ERP system to an in-memory database system, such as SAP® high-performance analytic appliance (HANA). Migration to other database platforms, such as Sybase adaptive server enterprise (ASE), is also feasible. As HANA may utilize Unicode and have a certain release level, an existing database system may require a system update and other intermediate steps prior to migration. In addition, database migration may cause long downtimes for implementation.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for faster and more efficient systems and methods for migrating existing relational databases between platforms. The embodiments described herein provide systems and methods for in-place migration with downtime minimization.